Hawke's Bay Wine

Hawke’s Bay, in New Zealand’s North Island, has the longest wine-making history in the country. Vineyards have been planted since the early 1800s, with various up and down swings as natural and governmental factors have evolved. Today, Hawke’s Bay is the country’s second largest wine region. It’s at the forefront of modern wine-making, with a mix of boutique and commercial wineries throughout the region.

The region is renown for producing Bordeaux grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, as well as Shiraz. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are also cultivated. The Gimblett Gravels district has a distinctly warmer climate, with gravel soil that covered the area after the Ngaruroro River flooded it in 1867. These conditions are particularly well suited to producing the varietals for which Hawke’s Bay has been acclaimed.

The familiar names of New Zealand wine – Marlborough, Hawke's Bay and the like – are about to get more popular in South Korea.
This past Saturday New Zealand Winegrowers announced the conclusion of a trade agreement with South Korea which will end tar...

Judges awarded 112 gold medals to New Zealand wines at the 2012 Air New Zealand Wine Awards (ANZWA). In a statement released by ANZWA early this morning, Chair of Judges and Master of Wine Michael Brajkovich lauded, in particular, this year's pinot noi...

While we all have a wine that represents this change of season that we are enjoying I would argue that no wines does it so completely as Sauvignon Blanc. No other white, save Chardonnay, is produced in so many places and at such compelling price points...

Toasty, cocoa, white pepper and pretty clear wild raspberry and redcurrant fruit aromas on the nose here. Cool and tense on entry with a fine elegant and fresh feel. This is really transparent with gentle meatiness backed up by soft berry fruit. Tannin...

Some fairly pronounced wood on the nose with sandy soil tones, dried fruit and a little waxy note. This is nicely rich on entry but lacks a bit of mid-palate depth. There are plenty of toasty wood notes here along with rich, slightly dried apple fruit ...

Cool and crisp on the nose with a touch of fresh grass over smoked almond base notes and sour lime fruit. This appears to be very restrained on the nose yet aromatic at the same time. On entry this is cool, low in the mouth and a bit soft. The wine sho...

This wine continues to amaze me. Rich flavors of sour cherry melds nicely with toasted oak and fresh hay on the nose. Such a light brick color of an aged wine but with so much body. Finishes smooth. This wine has an elegance lacking in so many new worl...

This seems almost a touch malty on the nose with clean, leesy notes accenting pear and lemon oil fruit. On the palate this is light, fresh and juicy. Dances across the tongue with succulent acids lending a clean, snappy feel to the green apple and lime...

Slightly herbal on the nose, with a hint of arugula up front followed by tense black current fruit gently framed by notes of Toblerone. Finely balanced in the mouth, with herbal and floral notes on entry that are joined by mineral-tinged black fruits o...

Open on the nose with rather earthy, lightly foresty aromas under a nice hard mineral/steel note, accenting apple fruit and topped with light smoke nuances. This is somehow intense but with a since of delicacy. On the palate there is lovely purity and...

This is complex, with a slightly unusual array or aromas that range from distinct black pepper and smoked meats to peach nectar, dried plums, flowers, and a rusty mineral tone. Rich and broad in the mouth, with good balance and surprising transparency ...